Tofu Festival Killed

The popular Los Angeles Tofu Festival will not be held due to lack of venue space, according to the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) website. Back in 2006, organizers were fearful that the Little Tokyo parade of protein would not be the same without the large parking lot––now filled with condos. With no room to stage a concert, and booths forced to be crammed on the streets of Little Tokyo, the 2007 Tofu Festival simply did not have the same flare. LTSC agrees:

We’ve enjoyed delicious
tofu dishes with you under the sun for the last twelve years and thank
you for helping to make the LA Tofu Festival one of the top food
festivals in Los Angeles. As redevelopment in Little Tokyo and Downtown
Los Angeles continues to boom, venues for such a large scale event have
become scarce

.

Pictured: Most popular Tofu festival poster ever, says LTSC.R.I.P. from Sha in L.A.

I think that they could possibly have the streets as long as they respect the businesses that are trying to stay open during the festivities.

During a Little Tokyo festival earlier this year there seemed to be no prior arrangements made with business owners who chose to stay open. They were inconvenienced by rows of festival tents blocking the view and entry to their shop and de facto closing the sidewalks to any pedestrian traffic. I can't imagine they made many sales for those 2 days.